


He's Still Here

by Yacer_Sho



Series: From the Stars - A Hat in Time [2]
Category: A Hat in Time (Video Game)
Genre: Childhood Memories, Dreams and Nightmares, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Feel-good, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Nightmares, Random & Short, Repressed Memories, Self-Harm, Strangulation, dad Snatcher
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-26
Updated: 2020-02-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:49:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22645177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yacer_Sho/pseuds/Yacer_Sho
Summary: {Sequel/Sneak Peek for From the Stars: Settle For Less || Release Date: Late May-Early June}Hat Kid was never one to have nightmares despite all the dangerous adventures she's gone on. One dream in particular, one she thought was real, was a conversation she and her father had a very long time ago. Snatcher tries to help Hat Kid in her grief and regret.
Relationships: Cooking Cat & Hat Kid (A Hat in Time), Hat Kid & Snatcher (A Hat in Time)
Series: From the Stars - A Hat in Time [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1547056
Comments: 1
Kudos: 45





	He's Still Here

Hat Kid never told secrets to anyone, and in some odd twist of fate, even she finds herself putting the memories of the past in the back of her mind. Being that she is a child, she should be worrying more about living her life to the fullest and as well as she can despite all the trauma she went through with her parents and the war. It's not like she thought about her home every single day, but the occasional thought arises when she has nothing better to do. If only Hat Kid could go on adventures all the time, maybe then she could finally take her mind off Sehan and her mother.

And then, there was her father; Xander, a king born not of royalty, but of nobility at best. He was Ophelia's childhood best friend, and from a young age, they planned to get married. Even if Hat Kid knew her father for only a small portion of her life, she missed him so much. 

Despite loving her father with all of her heart, even when he seemed to care for her more than her mother could ever dream of, Hat Kid forgot what her father looked like. She could only remember the most basic of facial features, like his slicked-back blonde hair and his ocean blue eyes. His posture was always perfect and he wore a military uniform; no crown adorned his head. He prided himself in his peace treaties most days, and never once thought to cause a war with anyone... especially not the Moon Colony.

But more so than his line of work, King Xander made sure to love his family before all else. He would kiss and hold his wife in his arms every chance he got, be it on her lips, her cheeks, or her forehead, Xander always made absolutely certain to shower Ophelia in affection the only way he knew how. In return, she would laugh and play coy, and told him to get his work done.

It was from there that Xander would teach Hat Kid the wonders of space, and that there was more to life than just Sehan and the planet they live on. Hat Kid and her father frequently visited the Sehan museum and studied other planets and lifeforms, which was most likely the cause of Hat Kid's love for adventure. Unfortunately for the Father-Daughter duo, Queen Ophelia wasn't too keen on her family having such a wanderlust way of life. She much preferred living in Sehan and staying a queen, which caused her and Xander to bicker a lot. 

Even Xander's voice, one that made her smile and laugh so often was a blur, much to her dismay. It's not like she didn't want to remember her family, but she was so young that her father was nothing more than a memory now. Like he was never there in the first place...

Like he was... neglectful without really meaning to be.

Did he have freckles? Did he have a beauty mark? If so, where? Did he have a scar on his eye or was that a fabricated memory? 

When Xander's personal spaceship was mistaken for an enemy warship by the Moon Colony and destroyed, Queen Ophelia hadn't taken the news well at all.

Hat Kid could still remember the day her entire life fell apart, one that she will never forget; it's the day her father died and her mother went and started a war, which caused her mother to become mentally ill in the process. There were days when Queen Ophelia would lock herself away in her bedroom and just wail away her sorrows in her isolation, only to become numb and paralyzed in the process. 

The maids and butlers of the castle were kind enough, even in their grief, to keep their princess occupied and away from her mother during this catastrophe. Unfortunately, that also meant she was oblivious to the horrible fact that her father was dead, and he was never coming back. There were days where she would cry herself to sleep all alone in her bedroom, but she was much quieter than her mother when she cried.

What would her father say if he was here? He was the rock in their dysfunctional little family, and without him in it, they slowly drifted apart. Did... Did he actually, truly _love_ her, even when Hat Kid's mother was so strict and jealous? After her adventure and meeting her mother again after such a long time, she realized that she would never be accepted in Sehan now that Hat Kid's mother banished her. 

Of course, Hat Kid could care less about being a princess, even if it meant living on a spaceship for the rest of her life. Besides, she has her friends to keep her company, so she doesn't care about family anymore. As for Snatcher, they were obviously contractually bound to be BFF's, but there were days when he seemed more like an overprotective dad without really meaning to be. 

While he continuously made his threats about stealing her soul, or taunt her for dying during Death Wish contracts, Snatcher gave her the parental attention she never got to experience at a time her in her life when it really mattered. His intentions were never dangerous, of course, but were more mischievous than anything.

That being said, Hat Kid had become frequently reminded of her father, Xander, whenever Snatcher gave her even the slightest sympathy. More often than not, Snatcher's common catchphrase when speaking to the little girl, "Hey, kiddo! What's up!" led to Hat Kid's lip curling into a playful grin.

Since Snatcher spends a lot of his time on her spaceship now because of the Death Wish contracts, Hat Kid and Snatcher have the ability to enjoy each other's company. Of course, it wasn't like Snatcher was going to admit that he liked taking care of Hat Kid any time soon, but she could tell he loved her without saying anything.

On one very interesting night however, when Hat Kid was sound asleep and Snatcher was reading his book on how to kill kids, she had a dream/nightmare. Surprisingly enough, it made her heart ache.

* * *

"Seraphina... Wake up for me, please." A male voice softly whispered. Their voice was low and gravelly, and strangely enough, it sounded vaguely familiar yet distant at the same time. It almost seemed melancholy.

Without taking it into consideration, Hat Kid's blue eyes slowly opened and blinked sleepily. She was still on her spaceship and in her bed, but Snatcher was nowhere to be found. Instead, there was this... man, just smiling at her as she made eye contact with him. His hair was blonde and messy, like it was unkempt in the early morning.

He sighed lovingly and brushed some brown hair out of her eyes, but she flinched back into the covers. Startling the man with her actions, he put his hand to his mouth and furrowed his brows together. "Oh, my sincerest apologizes, Seraphina! Your father didn't mean to scare you so badly..."

Something clicked inside Hat Kid's head; This is a dream, or a nightmare, depending on whether or not her mother was going to be in it. And this _man_ was the "ghost" of her deceased father.

She blinked as her eyes adjusted to the odd white light outside of her ship, so there was no doubt about it; Stars and a black void? No. Blinding white light? Yes. Definitely a dream.

Finally, Hat Kid found it in her to speak.

"...Why are you here? And where's Snatcher?" Her vocal cords didn't strain themselves as she spoke... Something wasn't right. She sounded younger as well.

Her father nonchalantly laughed and looked out the window with a wave of his hand. "I thought you and I should wake up before your mother does and chat for awhile. As for this Snatcher fellow, I have no idea who you're talking about, darling."

Hat Kid frowned and threw the covers off her bed, then made her legs hang off the bed. She was wearing a blue fluffy onesie, one she hadn't been wearing when she went to bed. Apparently this was a memory in a dream, only some things were warped. 

This was _supposed_ to be her bedroom in the castle of Sehan. Instead, however, her mind was playing tricks on her and both her spaceship and the bedroom combined to create something... strange. Not unnerving, obviously, just different. Very different. 

Her massive pile of pillows was replaced with the dresser way in the corner of her room, complete with the family painting proudly hung above it. She couldn't make eye contact with the painting without wincing though, so it must have given her a headache whenever she tried to remember what it looked like.

Her father sighed once he put his hands behind his back. "You're awfully quiet this morning, Seraphina. What do you have on your mind?" His blue eyes softened as he cleared his throat. "Your mother and I had quite a fight last night... I don't think she would have ever finished yelling at me if you hadn't been watching."

_Well, that was a lot to unpack in only three sentences,_ Hat Kid thought, and looked to the floor. Had this really happened a long time ago? Or was this purely a lucid dream? Granted, when Hat Kid's father died, her memories of him were blocked out and she forgot most of her life.

Then there was the painful fact that he called her... _Seraphina._ Ugh, she hated that name. Although, she didn't mind whenever her father said it. His voice was soft and loving whenever he tried to get Hat Kid's attention, but her mother's voice was always shrill and loud, like a, "Come here this instant!" kind of vibe. 

"...What? No, no, it's fine, I'm just tired. But, why would you and Ophelia have a fight-" She accidentally let the hatred for her mother slip out.

Her father's mouth opened as his eyes met with his daughter's, almost like he was going to scold her.

Preparing for a lecture, Hat Kid sighed and tried to correct herself. "Mother! I meant Mother... I'm sorry." 

"It's alright, my little one. You know how she can be sometimes... what with her constant need to make everything perfect. I won't scold you, she's still your mother. You and I love her very much."

Hat Kid nods and looks around the spaceship-bedroom hybrid in some last ditch attempt to wake up. This dream was really boring to say the least. "Sure." 

Moving away from the window, her father began to walk around the room and start up a more interesting conversation. "Who's Snatcher? Are they an old friend of yours? You seemed awfully intent on finding out where they were."

Hat Kid hopped off her bed and began following her father as he inspected the dream-like version of Sehan and her ship. It was almost like he knew that something was wrong, and Hat Kid had to keep her cool. She couldn't tell him how much she missed him, especially not with how awkward they were being right now.

"He's my BFF. You wouldn't know him, he uh... he lives in a forest. He'll never admit it, but I can tell he cares for me, just a little bit." Hat Kid giggled, and her father laughed along with her and picked her up so that the two of them could be able to look into their eyes without some hassle.

Despite being only a dream, her father's "ghost" was so warm and so strong... since this was how she remembered him, happy and loving. Her mother would never do this, she was too "proud" for motherly affection. His gloveless hand moved some hair out her eyes again, and she only continued to giggle.

Her father spoke, "Well, the next time you decide to make best friends in the woods, remember to tell me. Please? I don't want you hanging around any ruffians."

Hat Kid shook her head and laughed again, "Father," she droned out, "I can take care of myself just fine without you pestering me." Huffing and crossing her arms, she allows her father to spin and hold her close with a proud look in his eyes.

"Well! If that's the case I suppose I should just leave you all by yourself." Her father said nonchalantly. 

Hat Kid stopped giggling once he spoke, and her eyes widened. She didn't mean it like that, no... no! She didn't want him to leave her, especially when she finally got to see him again, dream or no dream. Her little hands gripped his military uniform in some silent plea to him that he shouldn't go.

"Please... don't say that. It hurts too much, father. I can't bear the thought of you leaving me, not again," Hat Kid managed to get out in between sobs, "I-I... I miss you." Hat Kid's tears fell freely now, and with a heavy heart, she grabbed onto his clothing and buried her face into his shoulder as she cried.

Her father didn't say a word, and simply allowed her to do what she wanted without hassle. He rubbed her back and shushed her with soft, "Shh" noises to help her calm down, but quite frankly, it did little to no good. "I know. I know you miss me, my sweet little girl. But maybe... maybe something good came out of it, right? After all, you've been exploring the galaxy, you've met many new friends, and you aren't around Ophelia anymore."

Hat Kid sniffled and wiped some tears away, but her father quickly used his index finger to brush the bangs out of her eyes. "You're not real... so why should I bother listening to you? This is just a dream. A stupid, stupid dream!"

"It might be a dream," He stated, then placed her back onto the floor, "But you know that your love for me exceeds death itself. I may not be the father who you knew and cherished, but I am a fabrication of that love, sweetheart. It's your heart and your mind attempting to find peace and closure in my death." He began to walk to the door with a regretful look in his eyes, and no matter how much Hat Kid begged and pleaded for him to stay, he opened the door.

The white light rushed in, and Hat Kid was suddenly blinded for a few seconds. What followed was ringing, explosions... and screaming. So much screaming, it hurt.

The people of Sehan were frantic and confused, Hat Kid realized, this was the day her mother bombed the Moon Colony in retaliation for the death of her husband. Hat Kid was standing there in the exact same spot where she was before when her mother choked her so hard her vocal cords were damaged. This was the day Hat Kid witnessed a full blown war; and it was all her mother's fault.

_Peck_ her.

Queen Ophelia had her back to her daughter, and just stared out the window towards the darkened sky. The ground would shake with every blast, but Ophelia stood her ground. Hat Kid, however, had to find something to grab hold of in order to keep steady. Once the bombs settled, Hat Kid's mother began to speak.

"Your father was a coward you know. Allowing our people to settle on our moon was a horrible idea, and he paid the price for it. Now, I have nothing... except for you and this lousy kingdom." She spat, her back to Hat Kid.

In turn, Hat Kid sneered and prepared herself to speak, only to be cut off by Queen Ophelia's tantrum. " _Seraphina!_ You will not talk back to me, do you understand? Your father was a weak, spineless fool, who cared more about you than he did me..."

_Shut up! Shut up, don't speak about him that way!_ Hat Kid thought as tears began forming from her eyes.

"Perhaps, you could even say... he got what he deserved." Ophelia turned her head to the side, and adorning her face was the same look she had when she choked her daughter, with the intent to kill her. 

Hat Kid needed to wake up, and she needed to do it _now._

"S-Stay away! Mother, wait-" 

It was no use, and her intuitions were correct. The dream-version of her mother lunged at Hat Kid with her arms out, and the two of them crashed to the tile floor with a harsh thump. It was a miracle Hat Kid hadn't hit her head on the way down, but what was even more odd, was that it didn't hurt when her small body made contact with the ground.

Thrashing in her mother's grip, Hat Kid realized she had to act fast. She coughed and clawed at her mother's hands, the same ones that gave her hugs everyday. And here she was now; choking her. 

_Kid? Hey, kiddo? Wake up, you're havin' a nightmare!_

Hat Kid's blue eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat once she realized Snatcher was trying to wake her up. While her grip on her mother's hands loosened, she tried to look around as a means to find an "exit" of sorts. She probably wasn't going to wake up on her own anytime soon, and she needed to act _fast_ before something really bad happened. 

"S-Snatcher- Agh!" Her words were cut off once her mother pressed her hand into Hat Kid's neck, and the look on her face never wavered. 

"Shut up! You little brat, how could you leave me for dead on an abandoned planet, huh? Sehan was your home, I welcomed you back with open arms... Listen to me when I'm talking to you, Seraphina-"

"...S-Stop it! Let me go, let me go," She sobbed out, and she could feel her face becoming red, "I don't want anything to do with you! Get off!"

_Hat Kid! Let go of your throat! You're hurting yourself!_

_Oh my stars! What is she doing to herself? Little one, wake up, it's just a nightmare..._

... Cooking Cat? 

Wait, so... in real life Hat Kid was just strangling herself this whole time? But, it felt so real with the ground rumbling and her mother's weight on her body. Her head was beginning to throb as well.

"Miserable child! Why couldn't it have been you instead of Xander?" Ophelia yelled out, her voice beginning to rasp.

Hat Kid was barely listening now, and tried to think of anything to wake up. But the words still stung, to say the least.

"Father loved me!" She barely managed to get out, and attempted to scratch her mother's face, "We hated you!"

_Agh! Kid, take it easy, stop squirming and calm down!_

_Hat Kid, Hat Kid, shh... It's alright, stop yelling..._

Everything she was saying in the dream came out of her mouth in real life? Now she kept her mouth shut, but only continued to shove her mother away.

Then, as if out of nowhere, someone managed to attack Ophelia by kicking her to the floor. Hat Kid coughed and hacked as she rubbed her neck in pain, then blinked away her tears in an attempt to see who saved her from her deranged mother.

Their back was to Hat Kid, and Queen Ophelia had been struggling to get up. The person, who's breathing was rapid from anger, had slicked back blonde hair and a military uniform.

"You keep your disgusting hands off my daughter, do you hear me?"

Hat Kid lost the ability to move, breath, and speak. Even if this was a dream, seeing her parents fight always was a horrible experience, but this... this was much different. Her father's chest rose and fell beneath his outfit, and his eyes were trained on his wife with so much animosity that if she even dared to get up again, he would send her back to the hard floor. 

As much as she hated to admit it, she wanted nothing more than to see her mother writhing in pain, especially since Hat Kid's father came to her rescue.

_...Kiddo? You got a pulse in that tiny body of yours?_

_Oh, don't be so insensitive! Let her wake up properly._

She could care less about her friends right now, she just had to get to her father. Hat Kid struggled to reach out a twitching hand towards her father, but the pain and sorrow overcame her.

"F-Father-"

"Oh no, Seraphina, here, let me help you."

Right as her father was coming to her aid, her eyes closed and she heard Snatcher's and Cooking Cat's voices much clearer now.

* * *

Hat Kid blinked open her eyes, and almost immediately, felt a sharp pain where her hand had wrapped itself around her neck. Her breathing was unsteady and tears had been streaming down her cheeks and found its way into the pillow. 

Snatcher and Cooking Cat watched on from the foot of her bed, and looked more than relieved knowing that she finally woke up. Snatcher was looking out the window in some attempt to make it seem like he didn't care, but Hat Kid knew he did. Tried as he might, she could see it on his face. 

Sitting up in her bed, Hat Kid looked down at the covers and sniffled. "I had a nightmare..." She tried to explain, and Cooking Cat caressed her cheek with her paw. It was soft and warm and comforting, almost like Cooking Cat was trying her hardest to slow her breathing.

"With how much you were struggling to fight us off, I'd say you were having a night terror. But you're alright now, it's all over. Snatcher and I won't let anything hurt you."

Hat Kid appreciated the effort to calm her down, but her heart was still beating very fast from the fact she not only saw her father again, but survived being strangled by her mother, even if they were in a nightmare. Sweat trickled down the side of her head and she quickly wiped it away self-consciously.

"Snatcher..." Hat Kid managed to rasp out. She noticed the spot where he liked to sit in her bedroom, and the book was thrown aside as if he scrambled to see what was wrong with her while she slept. Thankfully enough, the candles were still upright and weren't catching the pillows on fire while everyone was tending to Hat Kid. The positives of being a ghost, she guessed.

"You started off quiet at first. You know, little sentences here and there, like they were mostly under your breath. Once your night terror occurred, you started moving around in bed and put your hand to your throat-" Snatcher said with the usual spunk, albeit a little shaken up once he realized Hat Kid was still having nightmares about their adventure in Sehan.

"I think she knows the rest, Snatcher, thank you. Would you like me to get you some water?" Cooking Cat offered as she began to walk out of the bedroom. 

Hat Kid felt grateful and nodded, then added a, "Mhm." To make herself feel a little better, Hat Kid twiddled her thumbs together and looked up at Snatcher, who in turn, frowned and looked back down at the carpeted floor.

As Cooking Cat left, Snatcher and Hat Kid were then left alone without anything to say to each other. Hat Kid was still too shaken up to talk about it, but Snatcher was there to listen. He always would, no matter how evil he claimed to be.

"Hey, kiddo. You feeling alright now? I'm not going to lie... seeing you hurt yourself like that wasn't... it wasn't fun. And I'm the guy who takes souls for a living!" Snatcher stated, almost oblivious to the pain Hat Kid was in right now.

Where was Cooking Cat with her water? She just wanted to go back to sleep and forget this ever happened. But Snatcher is still here, so he'll have to keep an eye on her.

"What? No, yeah... I'm... fine." She rubbed her neck and felt the scratches move, so Hat Kid winced in pain without really meaning to. "I won't do it again."

"...Would you mind telling me what happened in your nightmare-"

"Here's your water, I've also got some bandages for your wounds, Hat Kid. Then, I'll be out of your hair. You don't mind taking care of her, do you, Snatcher?" Cooking Cat asked as she handed the glass to Hat Kid.

Hat Kid closed her eyes and gulped down the clean and refreshing water as Snatcher replied, "Nah, I don't mind. Do what you gotta do."

Cooking Cat unwrapped some gauze and poured some rubbing alcohol on it to disinfect the scratches. Either her eyes were deceiving her, or Cooking Cat noticed some very faint, yet noticeable scars already on her neck. She chose to keep her mouth shut around Hat Kid, but Snatcher could tell just how distraught the cat looked.

Hat Kid placed the glass on her bedside table and blinked as Cooking Cat wrapped the gauze around her neck. The alcohol stung, but the wounds had to be cleaned, so Hat Kid stayed quiet. "There we go. How do you feel? Better?"

Shrugging, Hat Kid coughed a little due to the smell. It wasn't pleasant, to say the least. "Thanks."

"Alright, well, as much as I don't want to, I have to get going. Those mafia goons can't eat garbage food all the time, now can they? Ahaha... Hah." No one laughed, and she quickly cleared her throat. Without another word, she left back to Mafia Town.

Now alone once again, Snatcher and Hat Kid exchanged glances, but felt an overwhelming sensation of awkwardness. They both wanted to tell each other that the dream-turned-nightmare wasn't just a coincidence, but they had no idea how to phrase it. Not only that, but it would be rude for Snatcher to just pull up a chair and ask if Hat Kid if she was scared for her life.

"Look, kiddo, you don't have to tell me anything you don't want me to know. But you were really shaken up, you still are. So, that begs the question; what happened? You were begging someone to let go of your neck... I couldn't do anything to stop you." Snatcher said, then sighed, "You mentioned your father, too. He wasn't like Ophelia, was he?"

Hat Kid bit her bottom lip and tried to hold in tears. It wasn't like she was in trouble or anything, far from it, it was just hard for her to talk about something so... traumatic. 

"My father? No, no, he... he was so kind. I don't know... He was always there for me until..." Hat Kid grimaced as she remembered what happened.

Snatcher sighed as she spoke. "Until he died."

"...Yeah."

The two looked each other in the eye as they finished their conversation, and Snatcher sighed before getting "up" and placing the covers back over Hat Kid. 

"I still don't like what your mother did. _Genocide,_ on a bunch of unsuspecting settlers housed on a moon. That's the kind of nonsense Vanessa would think of, you know. And for what? Revenge? Unbelievable." Snatcher scoffed, and Hat Kid took another sip of water. 

Haunting silence droned on as Snatcher continued to rant to himself, and Hat Kid just listened. She would obviously never admit it, but Snatcher was like her second father... as replaceable as he sounds. 

"But, they started that war by killing your father right?" Snatcher asked, trying to gain Hat Kid's attention.

"It was an accident. They mistook his personal spaceship for an enemy warship and... and..." Hat Kid could still remember her father from the dream, and tried to finish her sentence, "It's not like they wanted to hurt him. It was just a wrong place, wrong time situation."

Snatcher picked up his book that was still on the floor. "What do you think your father would do if he and your mother switched places?"

"Huh? I don't get it." Hat Kid mumbled, and Snatcher placed his book back onto the ledge. Some of the pages were ruffled but it was nothing he couldn't fix.

"You know," He replied, then started to make up a scenario, "Let's say it was your mother in her personal spaceship. She was flying too close to the moon and the colony mistakes it for an enemy warship and blows your mother to smithereens... They also blow it up a second time for good measure."

Hat Kid winces at the thought. She hated her mother, but even that seemed harsh. Regardless, Hat Kid allowed Snatcher to continue.

"Then, a royal guard informs your father of the news-"

"His name was Xander." Hat Kid interrupted.

"Ugh, who names their kid _Sander_? With a name like that he deserved what was coming to him." 

"No," Hat Kid droned out while narrowing her eyes, " _Xander._ With an X, you peck-neck." 

"Oh-ho!" Snatcher joked, then put his hand to his purple "chest" in astonishment, "Language, young lady! _Language!_ Anyway, where was I before you so rudely interrupted? Oh yes."

Snatcher cleared his throat as he continued to tell his story, and Hat Kid continued to listen with a slight smile on her face. The scratches didn't seem to hurt as much now.

"A royal guard informs your father that his lovely wife, Queen Ophelia, was slaughtered by the moon colony when they mistook her for a foe. He is now a widow, you are motherless, and the kingdom is in mourning. What would he do?"

"Um, he would probably try to talk to the moon colony instead of causing a war. He was a pacifist... and my mother wanted genocide. And I... I probably would have been his top priority once my mother died." 

"Do you ever wish it was the other way around? You would still be a princess, wouldn't you?"

Hat Kid nodded and took another sip of water. "Father would be overprotective, and life would go on the way I expected it to. Only, I never would've met all my friends, or went on all these adventures... I never would have met you."

Snatcher laughed a little, not like his "evil" laugh in which he would rattle the walls, but it was cut short once he noticed Hat Kid's series expression. She wasn't lying, and Hat Kid wanted him to know that. No matter how much of a "soon-deh-ray" he was, Hat Kid could tell that he cared about her a lot more than the others did. Even now, Snatcher had no idea that he was actually making her feel slightly better.

"Oh... You're being serious. What? Am I supposed to be flattered? A puny soul such as yourself is as disposable as one of my minions. You just happen to have a body." Snatcher huffed.

In turn, it made Hat Kid smugly smile and raise her eyebrows in suspicion, "Aww, it's okay. You don't have to tell me you like me. But last time I checked, you love your minions, don't you, Snatcher?"

"Ah, shut up, kid. Just be glad I'm nice enough to stay with you until you fall back asleep." Snatcher waved his arm as if to brush away what she said. He was supposed to be Snatcher, ruler of the Subcon Forest and a terrifying soul-stealer. Instead, he was being downplayed by a little girl wearing purple corgi pajamas, the little brat. This was going to be the first and _only_ time he was going to stay with her willingly. 

Hat Kid settled into the blankets again and held her C.A.W. Agent plushie close to her chest. It gave her some reassurance after that horrible nightmare, but the realization that she actually injured herself via self-harm still hung over her head. "Hey, Snatcher? Can I ask you a question?"

Snatcher grinned as he looked down at her again. "You just did, kid."

"Aw, come on. This is a serious question, so answer it!" Hat Kid clenched her teeth and furrowed her brows together.

"Yes, your majesty! Oh, you're just leaving me in suspense!" Snatcher joked, and Hat Kid playfully rolled her eyes back at him.

Nodding, Hat Kid asks, "What do you think Mother and Father would have done if _I_ was the one who's ship was destroyed by the moon colony?"

At this question, Snatcher's smile quickly turns to a frown and his expression reads a mix of confusion and shock. "Where in the world did this come from? What do you think would happen? I wouldn't be sitting on this bed and talking to you, obviously. Granted, having you dead would save me the trouble of babysitting you."

"Snatcher, please, enough jokes." She hid her face in the blankets as she continued talking, "Just answer the question. Then, you can go back to the Subcon Forest."

Snatcher looked as emotionally distraught as a pessimistic ghost could muster up, and he shrugged. "Well, you wouldn't be alive, obviously. There's a small chance that Ophelia and Xander divorce one another out of grief, or they might just conceive another child and *poof*, you're pretty much forgotten. Or maybe, they go back in time using the Time Pieces and bring you back to life. I mean, those things have the power to do anything and-"

"They can bring people back to life?!" Hat Kid yelled in disbelief, startling Snatcher to the point of his mane sticking out in every direction. "How did you find that out?"

"I read up on it back in the library on Sehan. An old, unsigned book, multiple actually, explained the power of the Time Pieces and what they're capable of. Why? Don't tell me you're going to just magically bring your dead father back to life using one of those things. That's wrong, kiddo."

Hat Kid rolled her eyes and huffed, prompting Snatcher to get off her bed and laugh. "Welp, I think it's time for me to head back. And remember what I said; As much as you want to bring him back, _don't._ You have us as your friends and family now. Sehan was apart of you, but never again, Hat Kid."

Hat Kid's heart sunk. The simple thought of bringing her father back from the dead was intriguing to say the least, but it wouldn't be fair to Snatcher or the others. It would be like replacing them with someone else. "I know."

"See you, kiddo. I'll check up on you soon." Snatcher returned back to Subcon Forest, and just like that, Hat Kid was alone in her spaceship, just like she was a very long time ago.

* * *

Opening the vault, she watched the Time Pieces flicker and glow, almost as if it was beckoning her to do what he hated most. Picking one out of the pile, she watched the hourglass shine and sparkle. Letting go of the past wasn't easy, especially not on a young girl such as herself. Hat Kid wanted to get better, she really did, but she hated everything in her life that was associated with who she used to be.

_Princess_ _Seraphina of Sehan._

Her mother was the cause of all her pain, but not her father. Her father treated her like a person, rather than an ignorant little girl. The realization hit her almost immediately; Ophelia was still all alone on Sehan without anybody to keep her company. 

_Good riddance, then. No one would miss a stuck up peck-neck, anyway._ Hat Kid thought, shaking away any and all scenarios where her mother was isolated in her own castle.

It wouldn't hurt to try right? All Hat Kid needed to do was destroy the Time Piece while thinking about her father's image. The Xander from the past will become the Xander of the present, so nothing bad should happen... unless it breaks the space-time continuum.

Her blue eyes narrowed and she clenched her teeth together as her grip on the Time Piece tightened. Closing her eyes, she imagined the image of her father as best as she could manage, but she knew there were so details regarding his appearance missing. The dream she had could only do so much to make her remember.

With a heavy heart, she smashed the Time Piece to the ground and felt time slow to a grinding halt all around her. The shards of broken glass had all but disappeared, and the light source which was once contained inside the hourglass became a blinding white light. Hiding her eyes, Hat Kid tried her best to withstand the full force of time itself. 

"This has to work," Hat Kid whispers, "Please, bring my father back to me."

The blinding light begins to swirl at Hat Kid's command, and in a miraculous display, shoots off a smoke-like effect and the light all but disappears. Hat Kid rubs her eyes and inspects the smoky spaceship, and mentally curses when she realizes she can't see two feet in front of her. 

Then suddenly, someone, a man, begins to cough as the smoke clears. Hat Kid's head snaps in the direction of where the voice was coming from with a hopeful look on her face. She couldn't cry, she wasn't going to cry. Hat Kid was going to show her father how strong she became without him in her life!

"W-Who's there? Where am I?" 

A man with slicked back blonde hair and blue eyes emerges from the smoke, her _father,_ back from the dead, much to Hat Kid's shock. After all, he looked exactly the same as the day he died! It seemed almost too good to be true. Snatcher was right, it worked!

"...Father? It's me, Hat K- Seraphina. I brought you back to life!" Hat Kid proudly said as the smoke finally got released into space. 

Her father looked around in a perplexed manner and took a few steps around the spaceship. Hat Kid followed close behind and made sure to hold his hand in excitement over the fact that, well, something as crazy as bringing someone back to life actually _worked,_ and that he was safe with her.

Her father blinked worriedly and looked down at his daughter with a hint of anxiety. Tried as he might, he couldn't take his eyes off the planet that housed Mafia Town, Dead Bird Studio, the Subcon Forest, and the Alpine Skyline. It was almost like he recognized it; but that was ridiculous. He's been dead for a few years now, so he must have no idea where he is.

"S-Seraphina, sweetheart..." He started, and Hat Kid nodded, "Where is your mother? And... why did you bring me back?"


End file.
